Hi MD,

You knew I would chime in Here's my $.02 (for what its worth) on your questions...

1) Buying online vs. buying in a store. I personally believe that you are better off buying from a brick and mortar store. I have a contact at CC that can get you a great price on the SXRD. I'll PM you the information and you can go from there. I just get nervous if something happened with your set from a mail order store -- the hassle of having to ship it back, wait for it to be received at the company, and then another one sent to you. Brick 'n mortar will just come and pick up your set and give you another one, no questions asked.

2) Warranties. Well I have some good news. There are two types of warranties you can buy. The first would be from the store that usually includes a bulb replacement. Bulbs usually last about 5000-6000 hours. Since you won't be using your bulb much (half of the year), I would reccomend you skip the store warranties. Now here's where it gets better. Sony offers THEIR OWN extended warranty and they are CHEAP! You do not have to buy the television from a Sony store, you simply have to purchase the warranty before your original warranty runs out. They are a lot cheaper because they do not include a bulb replacement (replacement bulbs run about $250). So I would reccommend doing that. You can order the extended warranty online through Sonys website. I *would* reccommend the extended warranty, lots of stuff can go wrong with these very expensive machines.

3) You will need an HDMI cable. Do not go to any big store and get one, you'll pay $100! Check out www.bluejeanscable.com , they have great prices and make a great quality cable for a lot less $$$. I would advise on holding off purchasing the cables for now. You don't know what kind of box Comcast will give you down in FL. I am guessing the output of their boxes could be either DVI or HDMI, and that will direct you as to what cable you need. Comcast should (check with them) supply a component cable set with the box, this will work great until you get an HDMI or DVI to HDMI cable.

4) Any other tips? Well have fun!!! You will love the set, I am drooling over them.

I'll PM you the info on the CC manager.

Chris